rancha.xyz Be free to choose their own route to self-knowledge, health and balance of body and soul.
Sometimes, a person does not notice the signs of conformist behavior because he immerses himself in a life pattern that prevents him from enjoying it. She thinks she is simply doing her duty and that is just what is expected of her. However, he does not stop to reflect on whether his achievements allow him to evolve or not.
It is common that insecurity is hidden behind conformism. The person doesn’t try something new or step forward because the fear is so strong. She often avoids admitting that she is being a conformist because that would mean facing the dissonance of taking on an adjective she doesn’t want for herself.
The key question is: do you feel satisfied or satisfied with the way you live? If the answer is yes, no matter how you live, you’re doing it right. If the answer is no, you are possibly being a conformist… simply out of fear caused by the idea of exploring new paths.
How do you know if this is happening? Here are three tips that can help you answer.
Signs of Conformist Behavior
1. Identification with power figures
Full identification with power figures is often one of the signs of conformist behavior. By identification, we understand the process by which the characteristics and values of others are taken as their own. This is normal and healthy. We became part of the culture by identifying with familiar characteristics and patterns.
However, sometimes the identification doesn’t really represent our wants and our needs. We often make the values of a power figure our own, out of a feeling of insignificance about ourselves or out of fear of those in authority.
That’s when, for example, you become a conformist because it’s demanded by your political, social or professional leader. Finally, for power figures, it is always convenient for others to be submissive. So, imperceptibly, you are being a conformist.
2. Unconscious internalization of the norm
This is a case similar to the previous one, but applied to norms, not figures of power. It consists of passively incorporating rules and norms, without questioning their validity or convenience. That’s what children do during their formative phase. In adults, a different mechanism should operate.
During childhood, we do not have the emotional or intellectual maturity to judge the suitability of a rule. Things get done because an authority figure demands it. Growing up involves, among other achievements, developing our own criteria to guide our conduct.
If you don’t achieve this, you end up clinging to values that you don’t understand, simply because they are the majority, or because that’s how a figure of power determines. This deprives your freedom. First, you renounce your own conscience, and then you become conformist and passive in the face of what is perhaps only convenient for others, not for you.
3. Excessive zeal for compliance
Excessive zeal for compliance is also a behavior that often hides the fear of being free and autonomous. It occurs when you don’t fulfill a commitment out of conviction or out of pleasure, but because you feel you couldn’t do anything else. You comply, like a conditioned child, not to arouse disturbances in those you feel have authority over you.
The worst thing about all this is that the desire to comply strictly leads to anguish or frustration. You learn to evaluate what you do through the eyes of those who have power over you. You set aside your own criteria to adopt the other’s, either by identification or to gain recognition.
It’s not about rebelling against every form of power or authority. Sometimes this attitude is just a reflection of a problem. However, the important thing is to ask yourself honestly if you are being a conformist. If the answer is “yes,” it’s time to honestly assess what’s going on.
If you find that behind this there are only insecurities and fears, perhaps the time has come to rethink some of your norms or guidelines in life. It’s possible that you’re leaving too much of yourself along the way for little.
